


The Next Course

by JoVay



Category: Bugsnax (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Slice of Life, post-Snaktooth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29501601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoVay/pseuds/JoVay
Summary: A series of short stories revolving around the journalist after the events of Bugsnax
Relationships: Eggabell Batternugget/Elizabert Megafig, Filbo Fiddlepie/The Journalist, Gramble Gigglefunny/Wiggle Wigglebottom, Snorpy Fizzlebean/Chandlo Funkbun, Triffany Lottablog/Wambus Troubleham
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	1. Confession

This was it. You’ve been preparing for this moment for a whole month. There’s no turning back now. You’re going to tell him. You MUST tell him. You’ve been keeping it in for too long and today was the day you were going to tell him. You have had this feeling for so long and it has been eating you up for so long. It was now or never, all or nothing. This was what you’ve been telling yourself all day. This was going to be it. The moment. The moment you were going to tell Filbo Fiddlepie that you love him. Like, the romantic kind of love.

  
You’ve felt like you were developing feelings for the light-blue Grumpus as you spent more time with him on Snaktooth Island, but after you, Filbo, and the rest of the town escaped that parasite-infested rock, you and Filbo became roommates. As time went on with you supporting Filbo in his mayoral campaign, you were growing more and more attached to that Grumpus by the day. Filbo made you feel happy. Filbo made you feel special. Filbo made you feel needed. That optimistic, upbeat attitude of his, that warm smile, that kind personality. Filbo was always there for you when you needed him the most. You were basically doomed to fall for him from the moment you met him. However, even when you realized that your crush has bloomed into full-on love, you didn’t have the courage to tell him this. A few of your friends like Beffica, Snorpy, and Chandlo caught on quickly and encouraged you to tell Filbo how you felt, but it was all easier said than done. You thought that simply hanging out with the aspiring mayor would help you, but that wasn’t very effective in terms of giving you strength. In fact, it made you even more nervous. You felt a bit pathetic for this, seeing you were able to catch numerous dangerous Bugsnax back on the island and helped save an entire group of Grumpuses, and now you could barely think about Filbo without going into a lovestruck panic attack.

  
Seeing that you obviously needed help, your friends have practiced time and time again to help you gain courage. Most times, practice went completely terrible. You stumbled through your lines so many times, you couldn’t keep eye contact with a poorly drawn picture of Filbo, you even threw up one time because you were so nervous. It was painful to go through and painful for your friends to watch, but after weeks of honestly tortuous sessions, you believed you were ready. You were absolutely ready to basically say “I love you” to the kindest, bravest Grumpus you’ve ever met. You took a deep breath as you stared at yourself in your bathroom mirror with a determined look in your eyes.

  
“Alright, this is it. Filbo Fiddlepie is going to hear just how you feel. Time to make this happen!”

  
With utmost confidence, you opened the bathroom door and made yourself into the living room of your apartment to see Filbo on the couch, reading a book.

  
“Go get him, tiger.” you thought to yourself, not once stopping in your tracks.

  
With that, you hurried to the seat of the couch next to Filbo and sat right next to your roommate. Filbo was startled by the sudden movement of the couch, but instantly calmed down at the sight of you.

  
“Oh! Good morning, Buddy! You surprised me for a second there!” Filbo gleamed. “You got anything planned today?”

  
And with that, any sort of confidence you had just shattered. As soon as that Grumpus, that adorable Grumpus, looked at you with those beautiful, purple eyes, you just froze. You felt that entire month of training flush straight down the toilet. You must have been giving off an expression that went along with you losing your courage because Filbo was looking pretty concerned for you.

  
“H-hey, are you okay, Buddy? Is something wrong?” Filbo asked.

  
You blinked and metally tried to pull yourself together.

  
“No, not now! Not when you’ve come so far already! Don’t make all those times Beff sprayed you with water during training go in vain!”

  
You took a deep breath and put your right paw onto Filbo’s left paw.

  
“Filbo, there’s something important I need to tell you.” you answered firmly.

  
Filbo tilted his head and gave a confused expression.

  
“Important? What is it?”

  
You swallowed hard, trying to remember all the memories you spent with the Grumpus you were living with right now and the countless hours you spent practicing with your friends on confessing your love to said roommate.

  
“Filbo, we’ve been through a lot together. Ever since we met each other in Flavor Falls, I knew we were going to become close. You’ve taught me so many things and have been there through thick and thin. Arriving on that Grump-forsaken island has been perhaps the best decision I’ve made and it’s all thanks to you Filbo. I don’t think I could have made it this far without you. You have called yourself a nobody numerous times, but I know the truth. You are strong, courageous, kind, and understanding. I’ve never met a Grumpus like you and I know for a fact that there will never be another Grumpus like Filbo Fiddlepie.”

  
Filbo had his mouth slightly open, completely shocked at what his ears were hearing.

  
“B-buddy, I-I-”

  
“You mean so much to me Filbo and with this, I want to, no, I MUST tell you this.”

  
You gulped and stared directly into Filbo’s eyes, knowing that there was absolutely no turning back from this.

  
“I love you Filbo. I love you with all my heart and soul, with every fiber of my being. I knew that I wanted you to be my friend, but now, I want so much more than that. I want you in my life Filbo. I want to call you mine. Ever since we escaped from Snaktooth Island, I knew that my feelings for you were true. So once more, I will say this. Filbo, I love you.”

  
You took some deep breaths, getting every single word you wanted to say out of your body. It felt really good to say all of that. You finally got it all out and Filbo was here to listen to it all. However, looking at Filbo’s surprised expression suddenly made you feel some regret. Filbo wasn’t talking. Just blinking with his mouth open. You felt like you just made a terrible mistake.

  
“I-I-I mean, if you don’t feel the same way, th-that’s fine too! I’m really okay with just being friends!” you quickly exclaimed.

  
Those words were actually the truth. You really were fine with just being friends with Filbo. His company was good enough for you, but losing that would be the worst possible thing that could happen for you at that moment. You didn't want to lose him and keeping these feelings in were killing you, but if Filbo reacted poorly, this could be even worse than bottling up your emotions.

  
“Y-you know what? L-let’s just forget this ever happened? That sound good? Good.” you stammered as you began to sit up.

  
However, Filbo quickly grabbed your arm and forced you to sit back down.

  
“Buddy wait!” Filbo exclaimed.

  
You two made eye contact with each other, both of you looking equally nervous.

  
“I-I’m sorry, I was just trying to process what’s going on here. It was just so...sudden. I didn’t really give myself time to think. It was all so much to take in at once and all those things you said about me, those wonderful things, I just, I-I um, wow, uh…”

Filbo broke eye contact for a split second and then took a deep breath of his own.

  
“What I’m trying to say here Buddy is that, well, I-I feel the same way about you.”

  
You blinked in shock from those words. Filbo likes you back?! The Grumpus you’ve been crushing on for months likes you back?! Did he give off signs and you were too focused on your own lovestruck feelings to notice? Did anyone else know? Filbo then placed his paws onto yours.

  
“I-I was thinking about telling you myself actually. I’ve been practicing with Beffica and the others and, well, it took a long time and I embarrassed myself a lot in the process.”

  
This was another shock to you. So your friends DID know that you two had feelings for each other, but didn’t want to tell you. In Beffica’s case it was probably for the sake of drama, but still, it might have saved SO much stress between you and Filbo.

  
“I-I want to say a few things myself actually. Like you said, when we met each other in Flavor Falls, I knew that I wanted us to be close, but I didn’t think at the time we’d end up wanting to be in a relationship like this. All those times you were helping the others, it made me feel inspired to be like you. Someone others can rely on, someone who is good at helping. You called me brave and courageous earlier, but I was only able to be those things because of you Buddy. Although, it seems that you believed in me from the very beginning. All those times I thought I was stupid, weak, and useless, you were there to convince me otherwise. You helped me believe I wasn’t some klutz or a nobody. You made me feel special, happy even. Even after that whole adventure on Snaktooth Island, you’ve become someone I wanted to impress, someone I looked up to. You’ve done so much, not just for me, but for every Grumpus back in Snaxburg. And now I know, those feelings I’ve had for months are being shared by you Buddy. In short, I love you too.”

  
You began feeling tears form in your eyes from Filbo’s words. He loves you back. All those months of being Filbo’s neighbor back on the island, now being Filbo’s roommate. All those months bottling up your love for the former mayor of Snaxburg. It was all coming together. This wonderful Grumpus that stole your heart was now confessing his own feelings for you. You were just so happy that Filbo felt the same way that you did. You just had to let those tears of joy fall.

  
“Filbo...I-I don’t know what to say…” you whispered.

  
Filbo smiled.

  
“It’s alright, Buddy. You don’t have to say anything.”

  
You smiled back and went along with Filbo’s words. Instead, you wrapped your arms tightly around the light-blue Grumpus, Filbo happily returning the hug. You couldn’t help but remember how soft and warm Filbo’s fur felt and think to yourself how you can finally be able to do this every day. Soon enough, you two were laying on the couch cuddling and nuzzling each other, just enjoying being each other’s embrace. There was no need to hide your affection towards each other anymore. Eventually you two got off from each other and smiled.

  
“So, uh, did Beff and the others use a cardboard cutout for you to practice on too?” you asked.

  
Filbo laughed.

  
“Yeah, they also sprayed me with water every time I said something stupid.”

  
“Same here.”

  
“Can’t believe they knew all this time. Now I know how Snorpy felt when Chandlo told him that they were dating for years.” Filbo chuckled.

  
“Well I guess they’ll be thrilled to know how this all turned out.” you sighed.

  
“Beff will really be ecstatic.” Filbo responded.

  
You both then just stared into each other’s eyes for a bit. Filbo was now yours and you were his. You were going to be the best partner Filbo could ever want and have and more.

  
“I love you, Filbo.” you whispered.

  
“I love you too, Buddy.” Filbo whispered back.

  
It was a good morning indeed.


	2. Recruitment

It’s been a week since you and Filbo admitted your feelings to each other. One of the first things you two did after that day was announce the news to your friends. As expected, they were all very supportive and happy for you two. Of course, Cromdo placed a bet on when, not if, WHEN you two would get into a romantic relationship, in which he bet it would happen within three days within your last training session, which was the day before you confessed to Filbo. Needless to say, Cromdo made a lot of money. Beffica seemed to be the most excited with the news in which, as she quoted, that her biggest ship yet has come true, whatever that meant. In short, everyone was very happy that their help ended up paying off.

  
You and Filbo had the rest of time to enjoy your newfound relationship together, but right now, you two needed to focus on something else. The amount of money in your bank account has drained past the halfway point, so you needed to find a new job and fast. As such, you had numerous newspapers scattered around your living room, only taking the pages regarding job offers and of course, Filbo was right at your side trying to find a job for you.

  
“How about this one? There’s a job offer at this fast-food place called ‘Burrito Drum’.” Filbo offered holding the clipping in his paw.

  
You shook your head.

  
“I dunno, I’ve heard stories about people working at those kinds of places. Apparently, usually aren’t very nice to you and the pay isn’t very good and we’ll need more than eight bucks an hour if we’re gonna get your campaign going.”

  
Filbo frowned a bit.

  
“I worked at a fast-food place before and the people I worked with were okay.”

  
Filbo looked at the clipping again.

  
“Although, sometimes the customers were really mean and no matter what we tried to do, they just weren’t satisfied. I mean, maybe they were just hungry and that turned into anger, so I guess that might have been the reason.”

  
Filob bit his lower lip and sighed.

  
“But I guess you’re right, we’ll need more money if I’m going to run for mayor.”

  
With that, you two kept searching through the newspapers.

  
“Oh! What about this? They’re hiring at a factory for Shopping Express. You won’t have to worry about many people annoying you and the pay seems pretty good!”

  
You took a look at the clipping Filbo was holding.

  
“Filbo, this job position requires the employee to regularly lift a hundred and twenty pounds.”

  
Filbo looked confused.

  
“But I’ve seen you carry around all those bug-catching tools back on the island.”

  
“Those were a lot lighter than they looked, Filbo. Besides, I don’t really want to come home with an aching back every day. If I spend too much time tending to my back, I won’t have as much time to help or spend time with you.”

  
Filbo gave a small smile.

  
“Well, I appreciate you being considerate to me.”

  
You two then spent another minute searching through the pile of papers.

  
“Ah! Here’s one that might be good for you! The Frazzeria Mall needs a new security guard! I heard a rumor that security guards actually rarely have anything big that goes on in their workplace, so it’s basically easy money!”

  
You raised an eyebrow as you glanced at the clipping.

  
“I’m not too sure who you got that information from, but it’s probably not true. Besides, the clipping says they want someone for a night shift and I don’t think that’s a timeframe I want and I doubt you want that either. Plus, didn’t some crazy guy kill a kid in that place and stuffed them into a mascot costume?”

  
Filbo’s smile disappeared in an instant.

  
“...Okay, maybe not this one.”

  
You sighed and slumped onto the couch.

  
“I’m sorry Filbo. I know it seems like I’m being picky right now, but honestly, journalism was the only thing I knew. I just don’t think I’ll be able to adjust to these jobs with the skills I have.”

  
Filbo sat next to you and put a paw on your shoulder.

  
“Hey, it’s okay, Buddy. I understand, you deserve to have a job that you make good money in AND are happy working at. This kind of thing takes time and I’m sure we’ll find a good match for you yet. Just you wait!”

  
You couldn’t help but smile at Filbo’s words. That was something you loved about him. Filbo is always so encouraging, optimistic, and understanding. You really admired those qualities about him and it truly warmed your heart that this would now be the kind of thing you’d always have.

  
“Thanks Filbo, that really means a lot to me.”

  
Filbo smiled back.

  
“No problem Buddy! Hey, why don’t we just take a break for now and get some pizza for lunch? My treat!”

  
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that! If anything, let me pay for it! You’ve already been doing so much for me!” you responded, putting your paws up.

  
“But I want to do this for you! You work just as hard as I have been and besides, think of this as a token of thanks for helping out back on Snaktooth! Come on, you deserve it! Also, you should keep from spending the money you still have until we land you a job!” Filbo replied.

  
Seeing that Filbo wasn’t willing to back out from his decision, you sighed in acceptance.

  
“Alright, when you put it like that, it makes sense.”

  
“Good! Now I’ll just take some of this paper and make some room. Then I’ll go make a call for a delivery.”

  
With that, Filbo gathered up clippings that were rejected and walked away to discard them. However, as he did so, one of the clippings fell out. Instinctively, you went to go pick it up and throw it away with the rest of the paper, but you caught a glance at what the clipping was advertising and it caught your attention.

  
“Huh. Now here’s something.” you said to yourself.

  
“What’s something?” Filbo asked as he dropped the paper into the trash can.

  
“This job offer clipping. How did we not find this one before?” you remarked.

  
Filbo walked to your side to see what you meant. The clipping you were holding was a job offer for a reporter for a news station called 123 News Network. The pay was decent enough for rent and a little extra and the job requirements seemed like they were relevant to your skills.

  
“Wow, this, uh, this actually seems perfect for what you might be looking for, right?” Filbo asked.

  
“Yeah, it really does,” you agreed. “But, would this place accept me? I was fired from my previous workplace that specialized in this stuff. The fact of me being fired doesn’t look very good on a resume.”

  
Filbo gave you a reassuring smile.

  
“In my opinion, I don’t think it was fair of Clumby to fire you like that. You had an amazing story and you saved so many Grumpuses in the process! It’s not right that she did that to you, Buddy. You’re a really talented journalist and I’m sure that this place will give you the recognition that you deserve. If you were fired for such a dumb reason, I’m sure they’ll understand!”

  
You gave the clipping another look.

  
“You know what? You’re right! I should give this one a try! I’ll go in there and request for an interview!” you announced.

  
Filbo beamed at your enthusiasm.

  
“That’s the spirit! We’ll get you back on your feet in no time! Now, I’ll go order that pizza.”

  
With that, Filbo left the area, leaving you to look at the clipping a bit longer. It was like magic or destiny or something that this opportunity just happened, but you weren’t complaining. After the pizza arrived and you and Filbo enjoyed it, you made a call to 123 News Network to set up an interview. After about ten minutes, you went to Filbo to give him the news.

  
“So, what’d they say?” Filbo asked.

  
“I scored an interview! They want to see me at ten in the morning tomorrow!” you exclaimed excitedly. 

  
Filbo beamed and gave you a big hug.

  
“That’s amazing, Buddy! This is a really big step for you!”

  
You laughed softly, returning the hug.

  
“Now, now, don’t get too excited, I have to actually get the job before we start celebrating.”

  
“I know, but I just have a good feeling that things will be going in our favor!”

  
You sighed happily.

  
“Always the optimist, aren’t you Filbo? I’ve always loved that about you.”

  
Filbo smiled.

  
“Gotta look on the bright side of life, Buddy.”

  
You smiled back and hugged your roommate a little tighter.

  
“I love you, Filbo.”

  
Filbo returned the gesture.

  
“I love you too, Buddy.”

  
The next morning came in fast and you were getting dressed for the interview. You decided you would wear a striped green necktie to the interview. You then reached for your brown fedora that you wore when you used to work for GNN. It was going to feel strange working for a different news network, but since you were blessed with prior experience, it shouldn’t be that different, right? Before you know it, it should feel like you’re just readjusting into your type of work. Yeah, things should go just fine for you. You then stepped out of your bedroom to see Filbo cooking breakfast.

  
“Mornin’ Buddy!” Filbo greeted.

  
“Good morning, Filbo.” you responded.

  
From the scent in the air, you could tell that Filbo was preparing bacon right now. Comparing the two of you, Filbo was definitely the better cook. You could cook a few things yourself if you really wanted to, but it seemed that Filbo preferred to do most of the cooking once you two moved in together. You didn’t mind that much since Filbo’s meals tasted really good, especially compared to the packaged food you used to live off of prior to the events on Snaktooth Island.

  
Filbo seemed to be nearly done with preparing breakfast, so you sat yourself down at the dining table. Shotly after, Filbo came by bringing two plates of food with him. The plates had fried eggs, strips of bacon, and slices of toast on them. The aroma coming from the food smelled fantastic to you.

  
“Just something good for you to start the day with.” Filbo said placing a plate in front of you.

  
You smiled warmly at your blue roommate.

  
“Thanks Filbo, I can always count on you to brighten my day.”

  
Filbo smiled back.

  
“No problem! Let me go get some orange juice for you real quick.”

  
Filbo quickly went to the fridge, got a carton of orange juice and two glasses and set them all on the table, pouring the juice into the glasses soon after. After Filbo sat down in the chair next to you, you both began eating the food that he prepared for you two. Halfway through your meal, Filbo started a conversation.

  
“So, today’s the big day! Looks like my favorite interviewer will be the interviewee for today!”

  
“Yeah, it’s going to be weird to not be the one asking questions for once.” you admitted.

  
“I think it’s nice for things to change up now and then, don’t you?” Filbo asked.

  
“Yeah, and one of those things that are going to change is that this job will help provide more for that campaign of yours.”

  
Filbo softly laughed.

  
“Hey Buddy, I really love that you’re supporting me in the future campaign, really I do, but you don’t have to spend every dollar you earn on that. We have lots of friends helping us out, so fret too much.”

  
You shrugged.

  
“Just looking out for you, that’s all.”

  
“And you know I’d do the same for you.” Filbo responded, putting a paw on yours.

  
You couldn’t help but blush a little at this action. Soon enough, you finished up your meal, brushing your teeth afterwards. You then grabbed your briefcase that contained important papers such as your resume and articles you wrote and began walking out the door, Filbo giving you a hug before you left.

  
“Good luck, Buddy!”

  
You happily returned the hug.

  
“Thanks Filbo.”

  
With that, you left the apartment and made your way downstairs to your car. You got in, inserted your keys, turned them, started the engine, and drove off.

  
The drive itself wasn’t too long, about fifteen minutes away from where you resided. When you got out of your car and locked it, you took a moment to take in the building’s appearance. The architecture had a modern cubical look to it with the windows tinted black with some cubical hedges outside the building. There was also a sign above the glass doors that displayed ‘123 News Network’. The typography for the company’s logo was simple. White, thick letters for the words with a rainbow colored apple above the words. It all seemed fairly professional to you, nothing out of the ordinary. You took a deep breath and made your way inside the building.

  
When you entered, the interior you saw was very modern. The overall theme of the lobby was monochrome with cube shaped lamps and black and white furniture everywhere with chrome colored metal lining some of the furniture. Once again, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a different interior design choice from your previous workplace, but you were fine with that. In fact, you didn’t really want to be reminded that this place was too much like your previous workplace because you wanted to leave the past regarding GNN behind and focus on what could be your next job. You approached the desk and were looking at a female Grrumpus typing away at her computer. The Grumpus in question had a capsule shaped body, magenta-colored fur and a small, oval-shaped, sky-blue nose. She also had dark blue colored hair, wore circular, black wire-framed glasses and a pearl necklace, and had an overbite revealing two of her teeth. You noticed a wooden nameplate on her desk which displayed ‘Grotta Snickertee: Secretary’. Grotta then turned her attention towards you.

  
“Hello, how can I help you today?” she asked.

  
“Yes actually, I have an interview.” you answered.

  
Grotta nodded then began typing at her computer.

  
“Alright, let me check for you real quick.”

  
After a series of typing and clicks from her keyboard and mouse, Grotta turned to you once again.

  
“Okay, I see an interview scheduled at ten. I’ll page the person you’re supposed to meet and you’ll be good to go. Please have a seat.”

  
Grotta then gestured to an area with black leather cubes that were meant to be chairs. You thanked the secretary, made your way to the collection of black cubes and sat down on one of them. Not too long after, another Grumpus entered the room. He too had a capsule-shaped body and had turquoise-colored fur and a lime-colored, spherical nose. He wore a fedora like you did, but his hat was white and also sported a red bowtie and had an underbite showing two short yet sharp looking teeth showing. The Grumpus made his way towards you and introduced himself.

  
“Hello, you must be the one i’m supposed to interview. My name is Rasslo Yellington and I’m part of GR. If you’d please come with me to the interview room where my co-worker Velissa will be with me and we’ll get things started.”

  
You complied with Rasslo’s order and followed him through a small series of hallways to the interview room. You took a seat where a wooden desk was with Rasslo sitting on the opposite side. As stated, his co-worker, Velissa, was there with him. Velissa had tan-colored fur and a red, egg-shaped nose. She wore a plaid yellow scarf and didn’t even have either an underbite nor an overbite.

  
“Ah, you must be our interviewee. Nice to meet you. I’m Velissa Razzlefling and I’m with GR and you’ve already met Rasslo. Let’s get things started, shall we?”

  
Rasslo nodded in response.

  
“Right, so to start things off, tell us a little bit about yourself.”

  
A simple topic for you, so a simple answer should be in place.

  
“Well, I was a journalist for GNN. I worked there for about, maybe four years.”

  
“GNN huh? Since you applied to work here, I suppose you want to continue the path of journalism, am I correct?” Rasslo asked.

  
“That’s right.” you responded.

  
Velissa then spoke up.

  
“I noticed that you just said you WERE a journalist for GNN. You’re not employed there now?”

  
“Well, yes, that’s correct. I was, well, terminated.”

  
Rasslo raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

  
“They fired you? Care to elaborate the reason?”

  
“Yes, I actually took an expedition to Snaktooth Island a while ago and my boss didn’t expect me to come back apparently.”

  
This got some attention from your interviewers.

  
“Snaktooth Island? You actually went there? And came back? You’re not lying about this to make yourself look good, are you?” Velissa asked suspiciously.

  
“Of course not! There are actually numerous other Gumpuses that would back me up. They were on the island with me.” you answered.

  
“I see. Very well, can you tell me why you went there in the first place?” Rasslo asked.

  
“Elizabert Megafig, the renowned explorer, wanted me to go.”

  
You decided to leave details regarding the Bugsnax out and were going to continue doing so.

  
“Elizabert Megafig, eh? Yeah, I’ve heard of her. Interesting woman. I’ve read about many of her adventures myself.” Rasslo said, smiling a little. “Why did she want you to go anyways?”

  
Unfortunately, you were going to have to lie a bit to keep the secret of Bugsnax hidden.

  
“Liz wanted someone to help document the previous disappearances that happened on Snaktooth and I guess she was confident enough that her expedition team would come back.”

  
“Well, fortunately for you, she was right about that part.” Velissa spoke.

  
“I guess Ms. Megafig will be able to explore for another day, right?” Rasslo followed.

  
You bit your lip, knowing the truth about what happened to Liz.

  
“Um, actually, Liz wasn’t one of the Grumpuses to come back.”

  
Rasslo and Velissa frowned at that information.

  
“Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry to hear about that.” Rasslo said solemnly.

  
There were few seconds of awkward silence until Velissa broke it.

  
“Anyways, uh, moving on. Tell me, how did you find out about our job offer and why do you want it?”

  
“Well, I found a newspaper clipping that said that 123 News Network needed more employees and I figured that since my skills pretty much revolve around journalism, I saw this as an opportunity to get back on track.”

  
Velissa nodded.

  
“Understandable. What were you doing while you were unemployed?”

  
“I was scraping what I had together to try and help my roommate, Filbo, set up a mayoral campaign for the upcoming election. That’s also a reason why I decided to look for a new job”

  
“Ah yes, I’ve forgotten that was coming up.” Velissa said.

  
“Filbo, was it? Do you really think that he can win the election?” Rasslo asked.

  
“Yes, I do. Filbo has great leadership skills and he also has a winning personality to match. He was actually pretty much the second in command to Liz when we were on Snaktooth. He really tries so hard to make everyone happy and in line. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be a good mayor for this city.”

  
“Alright, then I’ll make sure to keep him in mind if he becomes a candidate,” Rasslo said. “Now, since you used to work for GNN, you must have written a few articles yourself. Anything noteworthy you’d like to share with us?”

  
“Yes, of course!”

  
You then took a few articles from your briefcase and handed them to Rasslo. After a few minutes of looking through them, Rasslo gave his feedback.

  
“I see. So you’re the reporter responsible for writing that article on Grumpfoot. Unfortunate that it turned out to be a lost football mascot, huh?”

  
You sheepishly broke eye contact after hearing that.

  
“Y-yeah, amazing how some bad leads can end up making you look bad.”

  
“I understand, could happen to the best of us.”

  
Rasslo browsed through your articles for a bit longer.

  
“From the looks of it, you seem to have a thing for reporting on mythical creatures.”

  
“I like to write about the truth about the unknown. There’s so many things out there that haven’t been discovered yet and I feel that sort of information should be revealed to everyone.”

  
Rasslo nodded.

  
“Well, I like your enthusiasm. Our network revolves around getting the truth out, but nowadays, many other journalists out there only care about making a story sound good without knowing the difference between fact and fiction. It’s a good thing there are Grumpuses like you out there, digging for the truth and letting the facts be known.”

  
“Yes, it’s a little sad that there are some Grumpuses willing to bend the truth or straight up lie just to make themselves look good or make some quick cash. You know, that kind of false information can have a bigger impact on the world than one may think and it’s like they don’t care about the consequences, am I right?” Velissa followed.

  
You nodded, agreeing with the two.

  
“Yes, I totally agree. That’s kinda why I wanted to get into journalism, to find the truth.”

  
Rasslo smiled.

  
“Well good, it’s refreshing to hear this sort of thing. Of course, I hope you aren’t doing anything too drastic to get the truth out. I’ve heard of the saying ‘the ends justify the means’, but I don’t feel that’s always true.”

  
“Yes, of course.”

  
Rasslo then gave your papers back to you.

  
“Well, despite the outcome of some of these articles not being the best, it’s clear that your writing is on point. You seem to get a very good amount of information. You must be a talented interviewer yourself.”

  
You smiled from this.

  
“Thank you. I feel the key is to prepare yourself some questions before an interview starts and to ask follow-up questions whenever possible.”

  
“Good tactic. Gotta squeeze out that information by asking lots of questions. Can never have too much info and the more info, the sooner the truth will come.” Rasslo responded.

  
“I agree, but I also think it’s just good to have extra information, just in case.”

  
“Yes, of course. Now, next up, you mentioned you went to Snaktooth Island when you were still with GNN. Would you like to tell us a bit more about that?” Rasslo asked.

  
You figured that the topic would interest your interviewers the moment you mentioned the island, so you were prepared to cover up a few tracks.

  
“Yes, so when I arrived on Snaktooth, the expedition team were apparently having a difficult time with building a proper civilization there. Filbo tried to keep everyone together, and a lot of the Grumpuses there had a tough time getting along with each other. However, in order to get a compelling story, I decided to help out and soon enough, the town that was built on that island began to flourish. I even ended up becoming close friends with many of the Grumpuses in town and honestly, it just felt good to help out.”

  
You enjoyed talking about your days on Snaktooth, remembering all the good deeds you committed, all the adventures you had. Rasslo then looked at you with a smile.

  
“Well, it seems that you are a very interesting Grumpus, that’s for sure. You seem to know what you’re doing and understand that the truth is incredibly important in this line of work. What’s more, you’re a focused individual who can get information when you need it, and lots of it too. It seems your former employer didn’t know a determined and hard-working journalist when she saw one. Apart from all this, you also seem to be a very helpful and kind Grumpus and we really don’t see that very often nowadays. As such, I personally think you’d be an excellent fit for 123 News Network.”

  
Velissa nodded.

  
“I wholeheartedly agree here. Your articles showed us that you certainly know how to gain the attention of viewers while also trying to stick to as many facts as you can. You also have great investigation skills and a close attention to details according to your interviews. You are most certainly a thorough one and such a thing is crucial for a workplace like this.”

  
You held your breath for a moment. Didn’t want to celebrate too early after all.

  
“Allow me to be the first to congratulate you. You’ve got yourself a new start as a journalist here at 123 News Network. Exciting news, is this not?” Rasslo informed.

  
“R-really? I got the job? This is amazing! When do I start?” you asked enthusiastically.

  
Velissa giggled at this.

  
“Aren’t you an eager beaver? Well, we expect you to come in tomorrow morning at nine. Is that good for you?”

  
“Sounds great!”

  
Rasslo smiled at this.

  
“Excellent! Welcome aboard. We look forward to working with you. I’m sure you can see yourself out. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  
With that, you gathered your things and left the room. You walked down the hallway and into the lobby, meeting Grotta along the way. The secretary noticed the smile on your face and smirked.

  
“I take it that the interview went well?”

  
“Yes, yes it did.” you answered.

  
“Well then it looks like we’ll be seeing each other more often then.” she responded.

  
“That we will.”

  
You then headed towards the doors ahead of you and exited the building. After a good distance away from the building, you stopped in your tracks. You dropped your briefcase and looked up at the sky. You then threw both of your fists into the air and gave out a loud shout of victory. A few Grumpuses walking by gave you some weird looks, but you didn’t care. You were finally right back on track with your life. You had a paying job with skills you were successful with and you could finally help your partner with his own goals. Things were certainly looking up for you.


End file.
